My last day in Beijing started pretty much as all the others had: awake early, a quick blog entry, a Skype call back home, but this day was different, I was heading home. In addition to the flurry of normal things to get done in order to be at class on time, I had to make sure all my personal possessions were packed and that we were checked out with enough time to make it to class by 9am. I had to push through the feeling that I forgot something as I pulled the hotel door closed for the last time. I was exhausted. The night before my China learning team had been up until almost 2a.m. editing together our final presentation on the technology sector in Beijing. In the next 24 hours I would be sitting through class, making our final presentation, filling out the requisite surveys, defying death in a cab trying to get to the airport on time, negotiating customs, making connections and then finally at some point that seemed like the distant future, I’d be reunited with my wife, with my home and finally a sense of normal. How great is it going to be to not have to explain what I want to order for dinner with a series of retarded hand gestures? I’m really looking forward to getting home. Beijing has been fun, but it’s time to head back. My body is ready and my mind is certainly ready!
Getting through Class
The morning is slated with two presentations. The first is Wang Xiao Fei. Fei is a celebrity restaurateur here in China. He’s managed to create a successful restaurant brand here in China that caters to upscale dining and a unique dining experience. The “South Beauty Group” has built a chain of Chinese restaurants that feature designer décor and an upscale vibe. Fei has also experienced success with a chain of upscale nightclubs. I find this curious because his slides suggest that these clubs are way upscale, posh… decadent even. With designer art and décor, these clubs don’t seem like your ordinary China beer joints. Instead they seem more like trendy Los Angeles clubs where the hip and beautiful people go. Some of my classmates report that they dropped by his “Lan” club for dinner. Dinners start around $200 USD per plate. That’s a lot of money here in China, especially when you consider $200 represents nearly 3 years salary for almost 700 million people. Makes you think.
The morning drags on and while I normally try to focus and pay attention in class, the speakers seem to be droning. About the only thing getting through sounds something like when the adults speak in a Peanuts holiday cartoon – “Wa Wa.. wa… wa wa wa”. I can’t help it. I’m really looking forward to heading home. I’m concentrating on getting out of Beijing, the logistics of the cab ride and everything else between here and sleeping in my own bed 20 hours from now. Our team delivers our presentation, which mimics a television news segment. When Katherine first pitched the idea, I really didn’t know how it was going to turn out. But with some imagination and a little work, I thought it went great and we managed to get the requisite laughs while still delivering at least a little meaningful content. We powered through what turns out to be probably the best lunch yet – a vegi-sushi lunch complete with Chinese beer. Normally I’d pass on the beer at lunch, but heck, why not? It was completely yummy and the clock was crawling closer to the magic hour when we blast off for home. Tick-tock, tick-tock… Before I know it, it’s 3pm and we’re making our way out of the city. The cab driver speaks absolutely no English, so the bellboys at the hotel give destination instructions to the driver as Brad and hurl suitcases and backpacks into the trunk. We’re off! As we drive out of the city I’m again struck by how absolutely filthy the air is in Beijing. The air is a yellow custard goo that just clings around the buildings and hangs off the skyline. It’s sad. I forget what someone told us, something like 100,000 cars per week are getting put on the road in China. I think sometimes the US gets criticized for being self absorbed and only concerned about what we get as individuals. I don’t think that’s isolated only to the United States. In China, it appears that the country has moved ahead at any cost and in my opinion, unless they seriously reassess what’s important, the destruction will be irreversible if it’s not already.
Blasting off
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and the flight departed right on schedule. We were headed home. The 13+ flight for some reason really didn’t seem that bad. Could I actually be getting used to international travel? Normally I don’t do anything I LIKE for 13 hours straight, let alone sitting idle in a long aluminum tube with three hundred other folks, but this flight really wasn’t bad. Somehow we landed in some psudo-escape row with tons of legroom. Legroom is like gold on long international flight and we were fat. The 13 hour flight certainly gave a lot of time to contemplate the trip and to synthesize a pile of profound thoughts, but honestly, I just wanted to sleep. I’m not going to try to rush those insights just yet; I think a future blog entry will serve that purpose better. Instead I can tell you that as I right this from my kitchen table back in good old Chesterfield, Virginia, USA – I’m REALLY glad to be home among family. I enjoyed my time in China. It was an amazing experience, but there’s no place like the good old US of A!
